Showcases of this type must satisfy various requirements, in relation to the conservation and integrity of the displayed objects. In particular, high security must normally be ensured against possible unauthorised attempts at opening or breaking in, as well as ensuring adequate insulation between the internal and external environment. Moreover, it is suitable for these showcases to have a structure such as to facilitate the production processes.
For this purpose, showcase manufacturers use metallic materials—typically aluminium and iron—to make support structures, such as a bearing frame and/or a platform of the showcase; the fixed and openable walls of the showcase, typically made of transparent material, are mounted on these structures. Normally, the transparent material used is glass.
In particular, showcases have been developed with a base having a case formed from the walls mounted on top; the base houses the technical components of the showcase and it is thus normally closed by non-transparent walls, to prevent such components being seen; on the other hand, the walls of the case are totally or largely transparent to allow the displayed objects to be viewed.
The frame is normally built with beams welded together and then painted. In this way, it is possible to obtain a frame having the necessary solidity to adequately support all of the transparent walls (the weight of which can by very high, in large sized showcases) as well as any other element or accessory of the showcase.
The Applicant has realised that structures of this type are relatively complex to make.
The present invention thus sets the problem of facilitating the construction of the showcase.